Build Your Own Villa

Story

We had a dream. To own our own bay villa.

We spent 2 years trying to find one to move onto our section. We travelled all around the North Island looking in house removal yards and spent hours trolling the internet.

They are obviously very popular. They either needed a complete rebuild and were too expensive or if they were any good they were sold before they even hit the market. We were getting desperate! Then one day I dropped my son off at a friend’s place and noticed that their neighbours had a new build that looked like an old villa. It wasn’t a bay but it gave me the idea. Why don’t we find a builder to build a new one for us?

We knew exactly what we wanted. A 3-bedroom home, fully insulated, double-glazed but with heaps of character. It had to have an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, a good-sized laundry, plenty of storage, a long central hallway and a high stud. We wanted some stained-glass windows, polished wooden floors, panelling down the hallway and a country kitchen with a scullery. We also wanted french doors and a gorgeous fire place for in the winter. At the front of the house we wanted a bull-nose roof over a front verandah with all the features of a 1900s villa. A home that would make people say Wow!

And now we have it! We found an empathetic builder who listened to what we wanted. To reduce the costs we built to gib and plaster stage and we have carried on with the finishing ourselves.

It is still a work in progress but we have been living in it for 7 months. We spent the first 5 months using the big laundry as a kitchen while we designed a new one. We are progressing with the architraves and the skirting will happen once all the architraves have been completed. The outside painting still needs to be finished but again we are getting there.

It has been an amazing ride and we now have the house of our dreams.